Otter poo and jasmine tea.

I started the week working  with a group of adult volunteers who turn out on a regular weekly basis.  They are a really good group to work with.  We began in Calf Close Bay on the shore of Derwentwater by clearing debris from recent flooding.  Every time we have flooding the prevailing winds drive the debris and rubbish from the lake into the bay.  We are also removing an old fence that has been damaged by the floods.  We have already built a new fence, hopefully above future high water marks.

Volunteers in Calf Close Bay

As we were tidying up at the end of the afternoon’s work, a couple came over to say that there was a dead dog further down the lake shore.  What they described sounded like a young otter.  I took a walk along with my dog Reiver but couldn’t find it so either their description was not quite accurate or Reiver’s nose wasn’t working as well as it could do.  I suspect that it was a young otter that drowned under the ice when the lake was frozen.  Although it’s sad to hear of a young otter dying, the fact that we now have otters breeding on a regular basis in the valley is a huge success story.  One of the good things following the disaster of foot and mouth is that otters have moved back into Borrowdale from the lower Derwent and have been breeding successfully since 2001. 

Otter tracks, December 2010

 We are seeing more and more signs of otters such as spraints (pooh) on rocks.  It’s sometimes described as smelling like jasmine tea but it doesn’t smell like that to me!  Look in places they might want to mark to let other otters know that they are around.  Occasionally we even see otters. 

A picture I took previously.

 Look for them early morning or late afternoon although, if they are feeling confident, you might see one during the day. The future of otters is looking a lot brighter these days.